Despite it being a rocky few months for YG Entertainment, it is still business as usual for some artists. Schedules are still going forward for some of the soloists and groups. And now, we have a solo debut in our midst. Jinu, one of the vocalists of WINNER, released his first solo track today. It is titled as Call Anytime and it features fellow WINNER member Mino. Winner previously released Ah Yeah three months back in May of this year.
Interestingly, I had expected Jinu to go with a more profound R&B track for his solo debut track. This is the route that YG Entertainment artists usually go if they don’t delve into the hip-hop genre. But Call Anytime delves into the pop genre. There are those influences in the pop sound. But they aren’t as strong as I had expected it. Apart from that, I thought the song was quite good. I am not too familiar with Jinu, but I know he has a unique vocal colour and he managed to show some of that off in this song. I liked how his singing compliments the lyrics. He is waiting for a call and his voice sounds very bored (yet intriguing for the audience) and tired, matching the emotions the audience should be hearing at that point in time. Likewise, Mino features as a rapper, and while his part changes things up slightly, the lyrics match this change up by encouraging Jinu to text the person. I think that was a smart structure. The ending, when ‘everyone’ joins in, seems to be a very cliche move for WINNER (and YG) now, since they have been doing it so much. But apart from that, I thought Call Anytime was a good song.
The video is a little confusing and opens up with Jinu waiting for a phone call and I think this crumbles his self-confidence. We then see blue suit Jinu who has a consultancy business that deals with how to attract someone’s attention by building one’s confidence and he is advertising his services on TV. His first client is a timid version of Jinu (i.e glasses Jinu), who I assume is a version of the first Jinu we saw and the business aims to build his confidence so he can enter that special room. We see Mino, a special consultant, play the overconfident card by encouraging for a direct text. But Mino’s plan doesn’t work, as Jinu unsuccessfully gains entrance to the special room and Mino is removed from the room (as being overconfident doesn’t work). Somewhere along the line, glasses Jinu appears more confident, teaches Mino one or two things and enters the room without any resistance. Success! I am assuming this means he approached his phone calling scenario as a more confident person, though I am not sure what it means. It is a unique concept but it was fun to watch.
I liked the choreography. Like the last review, nothing really impressive that I could spot in the music video. But there is enough to be fun, suiting the pop side of the track. I guess we have to wait and see with this performance.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 710 Overall Rating – 8.1/10
It is time to start focusing on the releases for today! Literally kicking off today was Weki Meki, who released their new single at midnight (KST). It is called Tiki-Taka (99%) and it follows their promotions of Picky Picky, which was released back in May. 3 months on, the girl group has returned in time before Summer closes out for the year. (The 99% in the title simply misses that there is 1% that a person isn’t satisfied with their lover. Find that 1% and you will be perfect!)
To me, Tiki-Taka goes in a completely different direction to what they have released previously. It still follows the dance-pop genre that we know the group for. Just this one doesn’t have an ‘in-your-face’ type of hook, which has always been the case, as it becomes engraved into my mind with multiple listens. Nor is the instrumental of that nature as well, which has been the case for some of their tracks as well. Instead, everything is very toned back on those fronts. This resulted in a more melodic and vocal-dominant track, which I think was quite nice. This also makes Tiki-Taka so much easier to get into, which has been the case for some of their tracks in the past. The instrumental does fall into that typical route, so nothing worth mentioning. But it very upbeat and definitely a sound/energy rush you would want to hear closing out the Summer month. I say that because we are approaching the end of the season and the track seems to find a nice balance between the more upbeat season of Summer and the more vocally driven sound of Autumn. Overall, Tiki-Taka was a nice surprise from Weki Meki.
If we were to cut out the introduction and the outro of the music video, I would have been satisfied. The members’ acting has been overly cringy in the past and it felt like that was the case in the music video’s opener and closer. Not even sure what was going on. It seems like the group was listening to some sort of message on the radio/alarm clock (i.e. a mission was being given). One member went to smash it, while everyone tried to stop her. Instead, it seems like they ignored the mission and went to have some fun. In the end, they discovered that the alarm clock followed them, which they were not happy about. The same member goes to smash it, with no one stopping her. As for the group having fun, I don’t find their parts overly cringy here as it was part of the fun concept you get throughout Summer.
Based on what I saw in the music video, the dance element of the comeback looks good. The chorus section and the Tiki-Taka part looks like it is going to be the best part of the choreography. Just nothing really stands out as an amazing section to constantly repeat video performances for. But we will have to wait and see.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
The Rose is back with a brand new single, RED. We last saw them through their promotions for She’s In The Rain, which was released back in October of last year. For some, The Rose may be a group whom they haven’t heard of before. The group is a four-member band, who have previously released Sorry and Baby in the past. Out of the four members (Woosung, Dojoon, Hajoon and Jaehyeong), you might recognize the leader of the group, Woosung, who very recently made his solo debut with Face and the mini-album, WOLF (album review coming your way).
RED is a short 3-minute track, going for a chilled electronic band genre. As much as I want to say that this is a unique sound so that it complements the rest of The Rose’s discography, the electronic band genre is something that has been around for some time already. And it doesn’t help that I wanted more from the instrumental. It isn’t something that strikes me as bold or special standalone. It could have used something extra to make the chorus a lot more prominent or defined, for example. Something like the post-chorus instrumental breaks, which had a pulse of energy to make it one of the better moments of the track. But an instrumental like this can end up becoming a blank canvas. And it sure seems like this was the intended effect. Woosung’s raspy vocals help give the track definition, painting a picture on the blank canvas into something that is light in nature and refreshing, which I find fitting for the Summery season. It is odd to say this, but the vocals really compensated for the flaws in the instrumentation. And together, the pairing is so good!
The music video shows the members have a little more fun than usual. If memory serves me right, their past music videos have been heavy on the more negative emotions. So, it is definitely a different side of the group that I haven’t seen before. Like you can’t go wrong with some fun in Summer. I also like the simplicity of the music video. It matches the easygoing tone of the song. The emphasis on RED was very minimal and I am not too sure what to think about that. Surely, a red theme music video would be appropriate. But it doesn’t feel right for a Summer video or a song like this.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8/10
It is time for another album review and today’s chosen album is NCT Dream’s We Boom. This was released two weeks back and features the group’s latest title track, Boom. This is also the first release since Mark’s graduation from the group at the end of last year. While this is introduction today is rather short, I think you all will not want me to ramble on. So, let’s go forth with the album review!
2. Stronger – The group’s edginess continues through Stronger. And it is one strong song. I find it a little different because it avoids using a ‘strong’ instrumental to do its hard work. Instead, the vocals and rapping were amplified to give off that ‘strong’ vibe. I particularly liked how they emphasised certain words in the chorus, along with the ‘Stronger’ repetition. That repetition almost felt like they were growling, which I think really suited the song and gave a fair amount of texture to the song. Their pronunciation was a little off but I cannot really criticise that. I like its slight hip-hop vibe that came off the song and thought it was an excellent track to lead off from Boom. (8.5/10)
3. 119 – If both Boom and Stronger were promoted to different capacities, I demand that 119 be added to the promotional list as well. It continues that edgy vibe that we got from the two previous tracks and it seemed to add a tough vibe to the group, which I think is very appealing, especially how it goes against what the unit is intended to portray (though, I think we have thrown that idea out of the window). The chorus was fantastic. I cannot get the melody out of my mind. The vocal work was pretty good, and the rapping was awesome. Though, I think the song could have used a little more roughness when it came to the rapping. The only thing that I thought was ill-fitting as the ‘Na Na Na’ and the overpowered ‘twisted’ section that intertwines with the ‘Na Na Na’. It just felt like it was too much and didn’t sound appealing. But apart from that, where is that stage? (8.5/10)
4. Bye My First… (사랑이 좀 어려워) – In a complete change up to the album’s sound, we enter in the more acoustic arena with Bye My First…. Honestly, when I first saw the title, it gave my impressions that it was going to be a ballad. Instead, it ended up being more upbeat and pop-like. A song like this really allows the vocals to shine. But I liked how they incorporated the rapping into the song. The track lines up with the more youthful side of the group, which talks about their inexperience in love, especially for their first relationship. It was bright and happy, kind of like a reflection in a way to their former lover. (8/10)
5. Best Friend – Something I have yet to mention so far on this album review is that the song reminds me of Western tracks. Best Friend seems to be the most profound with this idea, especially with that ‘everyone sings the chorus together’ style that was also included in some of their other tracks. It showcases a playful hip-hop style, which works with the group’s young image quite well and maybe the reason to why I find a fair amount of Western flair (just don’t ask me to give examples, I am bad when it comes to mainstream Western songs). The vocals were good and the rapping was fitting. The playfulness also really gave the song a nice melody, making it appealing to my tastes. (8.5/10)
6. Dream Run – Kicking off the final song of the album is some guitar. And after hearing how Haechan started off this track, Dream Run feels like the most comfortable NCT Dream track on the album. It is bright, energetic, upbeat, happy, playful and has good rhythm. Essentially taking components of some of their past works (and the two preceding tracks before this one) and combining into some very appealing. As we get towards the end, I think things got a little too messy for my liking, but it isn’t too troubling. Once again, vocal and rapping were amazing. I also like the brass that featured in the instrumental, which contributes to the overall groovy sound. A song like this comes off very catchy and the way the brass finishes off the song brings the album to a very strong close. (9/10)
It is time to review another newly debuted group. D1CE (D-ONCE) is a five-member male group formed under a company that shares the same name as the group. Currently, the group’s lineup is Woo Jin Young, Park Woo Dam, Kim Hyun Soo, Jung Yoo Jun, and Jo Yong Geun. Some of the members may be familiar to some listeners. Woo Jin Young partipcated on both Produce 101 Season 2 and MIXNINE (he placed 1st but his debut in the final group was cancelled). The other members also participated in these survival shows as well including Produce 101 (Woo Dam), BOY24 (Yoo Jun), MIXNINE (Hyunsoo & Yong Geun).
The new group debuted with Wake Up on the 1st of August. The first thing that jumps right at me is the vocals. During the verses where the instrumental was rather minimal and the busier choruses, their vocals were consistently at the forefront, in a very loud and clear fashion. And they definitely have a very good set of vocals. I really like how they held that high note and there was some raspiness in the vocals during some parts, which often is heard due to instrumental style. The rapping was definitely well-textured and really packed a punch, especially during the verses. Talking about the instrumental, it felt very standard. But it managed to show an edgy vibe that is quite appealing. I think the song could have benefited from a stronger hook. But it is not a troubling aspect, as the rest of the song manages to make up for it. Altogether, the song manages to kick off their careers in a very tough and intense style, that may resemble some of the top male groups at the moment.
The music video is edgy and intense, which matches the song’s style very well. It’s dark and the guys look very angry, which really sets the tone for the video. Also, the setting was highly appropriate for the style of the song, as well. I also really hate to point this out, but the video does have a typical structure to it (i.e. the closeup and choreography format). It is a video that just doesn’t feel like it is worth rewatching time and time again.
The choreography looked very cool in the music video. But it isn’t as impressive when it is on stage. There is definitely intensity and a little attitude in the choreography, which I guess makes it different from the rest at the moment. As for why I didn’t enjoy the stage performance as much (yes, I am picky), it could be a combination of poor camera work and bright lighting. Note that the music video was dark and this suited the atmosphere well.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
It is always exciting to write album reviews for groups that had just debut. As there is a very high chance that I will be following their careers through albums reviews for as long as they are around. CIX debuted two weeks ago with Hello Chapter 1: Hello, Stranger. They have also won a music show award with their new track, Movie Star. This made them the fastest male group to win a music show award after debuting (i.e. 7 days). Let’s see the album that helped contribute to this win!
Hello Chapter 1: Hello Stranger Album Cover
1..What You Wanted – Kicking off their debut mini-album is What You Wanted. The song has a very nice sleek feel. The instrumental is very standard and feels very weighted. But this is a good thing as it gives rise of their ‘downward melody’ that they feature in the chorus. And this downward melody was very catchy, meaning the album opened with a memorable tone. Likewise, the vocals were quite good. The rapping was a little hit and miss for me. I thought the first half of the rapping was good. But things got messy during the second half of the chorus. (8/10)
3. Like It That Way – We move to something a little brighter through Like It That Way. The instrumental primarily features a reggae beat. There is a little more percussion to it as the song progresses. But overall, I would consider the track to be light in terms of its tone. Other than that, I thought the singing was okay. It doesn’t really showcase anything new, which is my overall impression of the song as well. The rapping manages to give it a little more definition. But it really isn’t enough to really make it memorable. It is more of a skippable song if I was to describe it in some way. (6.5/10)
4. Imagine – And now we move onto a track with a more upbeat nature, in conjunction with the song’s previous brighter tone. With the way the song directs itself to the pop genre, I already find it more captivating than the preceding track. There are a little disco and groovy influence on the song instrumental, which really helps make the song slightly more memorable. Unfortunately, I did think the member’s vocals were a little weak. I think if they managed to boost their vocals with some sort of definition aid, I think they would have stood out more. With that said, I find the rapping and Jinyoung’s whispering in the bridge to be my picks for more captivating moments of the song. (7.5/10)
5. The One – To me, The One finds itself within a very typical territory. It does have a feel of a ballad, as it does lack loudness and energy. But the instrumental was more dance centred, with synths present and an R&B tone to really bring everything together nicely. I find their execution of the different elements to be very interesting. I have been unimpressed with the vocal work for the last two tracks on the album. But I found the vocal work to be very nice here. Sure, there aren’t new techniques being shown off. But it sounds really well balanced over the synth R&B instrumental. The rapping had some oophm to it, which I thought was very cool as well. It ended the album in a wholesome way, based on its message as well. (8.5/10)
Joining the comeback rush this week is a new group. Rocket Punch comes from Woolim Entertainment, the same company that houses Infinite, Lovelyz and Golden Child. They are a six-member girl group who debuted yesterday with BIM BAM BUM. The lineup of the group is as follows: Juri, Yeonhee, Suyun, Yunkyoung, Sohee and Dahyun. Based on their profile (link here), Juri is a former member of AKB48, who also participated in Produce 48. Earlier this year, she graduated from the Japanese group after deciding to pursue a KPOP career. Suyun and Sohee also participated in the show but were eliminated from the survival show.
I am on the fence when it comes to this track. BIM BAM BUM serves as the debut track for Rocket Punch and it attempts to tackle the bright and cutesy side of KPOP that majority of KPOP girl groups debut with. And it is because of that, the song comes off as generic and standard. I found the verses to be very dull. The instrumental doesn’t really add much to the verses besides being a light background piece. Their voices just don’t sound captivating. The slowdown that they incorporated into the bridge wasn’t that great. If anything, it dulled the song down a little. Once we get towards the end of the song, I noticed that the sound was rather repetitive. But as I said, I am on the fence. I cannot deny how good the hooks are in this song. I could see it growing on me. There are two different choruses, which later morphs into one for the final chorus. I thought this was interesting and played with the structure in a slightly unique way. And the chorus had a nice kick and colour to it, which makes the hooks even more addictive. Though that was interesting. Apart from that, it looks like the disappointing side of the track is winning.
With a track like this, the music video is exactly how I had expected it. The video features a fair bit of colour. It seems like the girls are like aliens, based on the way they interact with the cheetah while eating their popsicles and the fact they have some sort of ray shooting out of their hands when they do gun formations. And maybe they are on a different planet, as when they shoot things, candy comes out. Other than that, I found a bit plain. The story isn’t much and the rest of the video was just closeup and choreography. There really isn’t anything dynamic to talk about.
The chorus is pretty nice. Nothing that impressive. But I did like the various formations they pulled off and the hand movement they did when they sang the title of the song. I also liked their energy and they seemed to handle their performance well despite being newly debuted.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 6.2/10
It has been a while since we heard from IN2IT. I have discussed this before, that large gaps don’t really do well for smaller groups in the industry. So it will be interesting to see how IN2IT will bounce back from this gap. Doing a quick search of my site (which you can do yourself in the grey area at the bottom of each page) shows that their last comeback (Sorry For My English) that I reviewed was one year ago. But finally, the group has managed to stop that gap by returning with their latest single, Run Away, today.
I don’t think we ever heard IN2IT do such a song with an edgy vibe. It is hard to categorise all of their songs into one category, mainly because they have all been different from one another. But as soon as the song kicked off with its rock instrumental, you know that this song showcases a completely different side of the group. While the song does have a rock style, the song still manages to come off as a dance track, rather than a band track. There is an air of typicalness as the song doesn’t manage to showcase anything ‘new’ or ‘different’. But there is some freshness due to the instrumental. I thought the vocals were great. But I think the winning element for this song was the rapping (as I have mentioned a number of times already for other tracks). This track really zoned into the rapping and allowed the rappers to show their intensity without being overly rough and feel out of place. I also enjoyed the bridge and that launch into the final chorus, which effectively built some suspense up before closing out the song. Overall, Run Away is a cool song.
I think the typicalness is felt most during the music video. Minus the standard choreography and closeup (these were quite good) combination that this music video went for, there isn’t much else in the video to talk about. With a song titled Run Away, there is a bit of running in the video. But rather from capture or some crazed life-threatening situation, the group seems to be running away from darkness. So that ending with them happy and smiley, just felt dull. I just felt they could have been a little more creative with the music video, in other words.
Unlike the music video, the choreography joins the ranks with the song by being the better elements of the comeback. The intensity they showed really went well with the song’s edgy nature. Even though it does have that ‘done before’ style, the performance still looked quite cool.
Song – 8.5/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.7/10
SNSD is one of the groups that have members under different companies. Based on history, groups like these don’t come back at all as schedules just do not align. However, it seems like SNSD could potentially be one of the first to return. There are ongoing rumours of a 2019 comeback and it seems like the 8 members are actively speaking to one another despite their different schedules. Fingers Crossed!!! Let’s hope for a comeback from this legendary group! In the meantime, I decided to review their Lion Heart album, which was released in 2015. This was also the first album after Jessica departed from the group.
3. Party (Pre-Release Single) – The track ended up being one of my most favourite tracks of the album. To the point where it surpassed their other title tracks. Whenever it is Summer where I am, I end up playing this track because it puts you into a good mood. So I decided to bump up my rating from a 4/10 (shocking much) to a 9/10. (And yes, I identified the wrong title track for the album in the Party review). Click here to read the original review for Party.(9/10)
4. One Afternoon (어떤 오후) – There is a sense of elegance to One Afternoon, which is different from the three preceding tracks before it. The track features soft jazz instrumental that I find to be quite likeable. Usually, I am not a fan of a song like this. But this one surprised me as being quite pleasant and enjoyable. The vocal work was also quite pleasant, with the member using a lighter tone to compliment the soft nature of the track. Visually, I think the song would pair well with the 1920s style outfit they wore for Lion Heart. (8/10)
5. Show Girls – Show Girls was previously released as a Japanese song. But since the album goes for an old fashion retro theme, the track is very suitable for the album. The verses take a sensual 1920s approach, which I think was very interesting. But what I love the best is the blast of energy we get from the catchy and energetic chorus. The contrast ended up being bold and I think that is a defining characteristic of the track. So bold that when you think about it, the two shouldn’t really go together. But somehow SNSD managed to pull it off well. (9/10)
6. Fire Alarm – We now get something a little more modern, joining the ranks of You Think and Party.Fire Alarm is a pop dance track that brings out the vocal dynamics of the group. The vocals during the chorus were loud to avoid being covered up by the instrumental. The vocals on the album thus far have been on the softer side, so it is nice to hear something a little more hard-hitting. And in combination with the instrumental, Fire Alarm becomes punchy, making this a standout for me. (8/10)
7. Talk Talk – Talk Talk is a standard pop track. There isn’t anything that great about the song that blew me away or got me interested in the track. There were a few minor things but they don’t really change my initial feelings regarding the song. There are some Western pop vibes in the track which I managed to catch. It does give a tinge of nostalgia, which was nice. The vocals were also pretty good, especially with the ad-libs at the end. But as I said, these weren’t enough to keep me from skipping to the next track. (7/10)
8. Green Light – Green Light, at first sounded like another pop track. But I found the melody of the chorus to be very appealing. It is a very fluffy type of song, which isn’t my style at all. But I guess we all have our guilty pleasures occasionally. I also liked the epic style of the countdown that launched us into the chorus. It is a different pairing than usual but it sounded good. I also enjoyed the rapping, giving the song some texture and preventing it from becoming too repetitive as a result. (8/10)
9. Paradise – Paradise is actually an impressive track. I did not expect something to be so catchy out of this one, given how it started with the ‘P P P Paradise’. I thought it was childish and potentially annoying. But rather, it grew on me and I quite enjoy it (to the point where I sing along). It is another pop track, so the instrumental doesn’t really make it memorable. But the vocals were fantastic in the track. The melody was very pretty and allowed for the vocals to shine in this bright song. (9/10)
10. Check – If you read through my Party review (link above), I mistakenly identified that this was the title track for the album at the time of writing the Party review. I think I got some information from a forum. Based on this, I don’t think I will ever use a forum as a ‘source of information’ for several reasons. The first, the group and company opted for a different title track. Secondly, Check is a very sluggish song that would not have gotten much fanfare if it was selected for continuous promotion for 3 or 4 weeks. The vocals weren’t great, and I pretty much remember skipping over the track when I saw the side promotion of it during the first week of the comeback. (4/10)
11. Sign – Positioned after the disappointing Check, Sign comes off as cool and dynamic. There is an edgy sound to the track thanks to the electric and synth-based instrumental and I think this track directly compliments the likes of You Think. I particularly liked the vocals in the song. While the instrumental seemed to go for a mid-tempo speed, the vocals were dragged out. I liked the contrast and thought it created a very alluring atmosphere. The song doesn’t have a catchy element too, but I think the vocal and instrumental combination makes it memorable. (9/10)
12. Bump It – Bump It starts off as a ballad. And then it takes a 180° turn to become a hip-hop/R&B dance track. Come to the think of it, Bump It doesn’t sound like a ballad whatsoever, so I guess the change is definitely a step in the right direction. And reading the lyrics, I feel like that ballad extension at the start could have been left out entirely as it didn’t contribute much to the track (both musically and lyrically). For the upbeat parts, I thought there was nice edgy energy running through it and I felt this was very memorable. I like the rap-like pre-chorus launch and the melody was quite catchy. (9/10)
Returning today is JBJ95. Not much has happened that I know of with the duo since we last saw them through their Awake promotions back in March/April. Based on their Wikipedia page, however, Kim Sang Gyun is debuting as an actor, with his drama currently airing (I believe). The drama broadcast and promotions for Spark (their latest comeback single) will be overlapping, so we get to see double Kim Sang Gyun (which I am sure fans will be thrilled for). Their 3rd mini-album also shares the same name as the song’s title.
Spark is a style that I quite enjoy. There is a little something uplifting with its sound and I tend to really become swayed by this element. There is also a very warm feeling to the song, as it shows a sense of nostalgia. The song talks about the moment in which we start feeling sparks because of someone, which I think many people can relate to. And hence why the song manages to hit the mark for me. The vocals are quite nice. Like the dance instrumental, it is very light and inviting, which really appeals to my tastes. And I like how the rapping manages to follow through with this. The rapping, which sometimes can really be a completely separate element in a song, manages to keep with the tone of the song. It did add a tiny bit of roughness to the song but that lightness manages to still remain. Overall, Spark manages to spark something within me. Warm and happy memories with its sound and lyrics.
The music video is rather interesting. Based on what I am reading, it seems like Kenta is an author and he is writing out what Kim Sang Gyun and his lover are going through. I thought this idea was rather unique. I like how the video managed to include some dramatic flair during the chorus to match with the change in sound. It is the usual stuff but the way the video was shot looked liked there was a bit of drama in the love story. The fireworks at the end looked very beautiful, with all three people looking up at the stars (Kenta noticeably separated from Kim Sang Gyun and his lover during these scenes). Overall, a nice and appealing video to watch.
I really liked the choreography for it. It is super fitting for the song, which I think is amazing. For a song like this, I didn’t expect anything too complicated. I liked how they had parts where they were holding hands together, which I assume mimics the holding hands that they would go through with their lovers. I just wished the outfits that they wear feel a little more fitting. The red they wore for their showcase didn’t look too good.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9/10
Also making their return today is SEVENTEEN. As I know I am a little jam-packed this week (and the coming weeks), I don’t want to fall too behind. Hence, the three reviews today. We last saw SEVENTEEN through their Home promotions. The group has since returned to Japan with Happy Ending and just announced their first world tour, Ode To You. And to kick things off for their world tour, the 13-member group brings us with another hit, titled HIT.
Getting Closer has to be the edgiest turn SEVENTEEN went with since their debut. Home, disappointedly, backed away from this edginess. So it is definitely nice to see this side of SEVENTEEN return. The track does not leave you disappointed from the very start. HIT kicks things off with a more subtle intensity. From then on, the song builds up exponentially, launching into a more explicit intensity during the chorus. And boy, this is a very strong instrumentally centred chorus. What I like about the chorus is that every time I heard it, it just somehow grows more intense, which is odd as they all sound the same. And because the chorus is mainly instrumental, the verses are heavily relied upon to showcase the vocals and rapping. And both of them are shown off wonderfully in this track. There is no doubt that the edgy sound would suit the rappers more. But the vocals managed to be the ‘calm before the storm’. And I think this way, the song ends up being more dynamic and captivating. What else do I love about the song? Well, that part where all the members singing together was awesome. It kind of brought everything together and ties everything up with a nice ribbon. Overall, HIT is a hit!
For those who don’t know yet, I am a major fan of the group. Each comeback has seen me pay attention to one or some members. I think this is the first one that didn’t have any member stand out. And I do not mean this in a bad way. Firstly, the scenes moved too quickly. So I couldn’t pinpoint just one member (though I did notice Jun being the centre of attention a lot). But secondly, this is a whole new side of SEVENTEEN. It one-ups Getting Closer and showcases a more wild side. The editing made the video so impactful and the song so much intenser. And thirdly, well, all the members looked amazing. Very masculine and sexy vibes come off the closeup shots and throughout the dance scenes.
Once again, SEVENTEEN has proved themselves to be amazing dancers. This entire routine blew me away. Especially the chorus. I keep on coming back to see how they effortlessly pull this routine off. I also wonder how they are going to sing this performance live, especially with a crazy routine like this one.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 10/10 Overall Rating – 10/10
Wonwoo is my bias of the group (yes, I made THE very difficult decision). Out of all the members, I find him to be the most attractive (both visually and intellectually). So, when I look at my featured image and see that Wonwoo is wearing a sleeveless top, I am left speechless and need a good few months to recover. Literally.
Oh My Girl has been undeniably rising to the top with their comebacks. Their last comeback, The Fifth Season (SSFWL), was hugely successful for the group. It won the group a number of weekly music shows and got the group a lot of fanfare. Now, the girl group has joined the Summer comeback rush with a special summer album, Fall In Love. Bungee is the lead track off this album and the focus of this review.
Oh My Girl started off with the cutesy concept and sound when their career kicked off back in 2015. And while the group has been focusing on a more refined and mature sound, Bungee brings back the cutesy charms the group once had. It is a Summer track, so there is a very fun, upbeat atmosphere and the cutesy charm does come through nicely. But there were parts that felt very childish and I thought the group would have stayed clear of this. Namely, the 1,2,3 part of the track within the chorus. It just doesn’t fit with the rest of the song in my opinion. The vocals were nice. But I think Mimi is the most profound member of this track. Her rapping was very dynamic and I wished the song followed that route more (i.e. there was an air of typicalness surrounding the song). With that last point in mind, I wanted the song has a little more impact. I felt the track was 80% there. It just needed an extra 20% to have it up to par as their previous few title tracks.
With Summer, upbeat and fun being words to describe this track (which in hindsight is very typical), the music video fits all these descriptive criteria. Just it feels very typical and there isn’t much to comment on, except for the cuteness that Oh My Girl brings to the table. I just don’t ping this video as memorable, mainly because of that typical nature that the video features. For a song titled Bungee, I am glad they incorporated a little jump scene from a tall height. Just they do it without any safety equipment and the way that wraps up would not be that ideal. I also really like the colours they went within the music video.
Like the rest of the comeback, the dance was fun and energetic. At the same time, it was quite cute. Nothing too impressive from what I saw in the music video that really jumped out at me. Though, I have to wait for the full performance. On a side note, I really liked their bright smiles.
Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7.3/10
So TRCNG is a group that I completely forgot about. Their last comeback was in January 2018 with Wolf Baby. On the Korean front, they haven’t been around much, with the exception for the Paradise single they release a few months back (which I somehow completely missed). But apparently, Wolf Baby wasn’t their only 2018 activity. The group made their Japanese comeback with Spectrum and Game Changer (based on their Wikipedia profile). I also somehow missed these. But today, we are here to discuss their latest comeback single, Missing.
While this male group has done dance-styled tracks before, there is a little uniqueness to Missing that really shifts a different light to shine on them. It might be the mature side we get through this track, which is very different from their last comeback. I think the vocals were really good. For a dance track, there is a fair amount of melodic flow in there that draws my attention to the track. The chorus featured extra definition, which really helped with its memorability. Listening to the song last night for the first time. I was literally blown away from how well presented and cohesive the chorus came to be. That feeling has died down now, but there is still a lot within the track that amazes me. The synth-heavy instrumental had a touch of lightness to it, which complimented the melodic nature I mentioned before. I really liked that deep mellow whistle-like tune that opened up the track. I think the only element that the song could have used was a little more rapping. They had a bit there. But it felt scarce and the track could have used some intensity, such as the final moments of the bridge.
Watching the video for the first time, I was wondering where the company brand was. Usually, it is featured at the start of the video, But for this video, they opted for the end, which was interesting. A story is clearly told, which multiple storylines featured throughout the video. However, without the aid of the lyrics, I can’t really tell what is going on. Though, I think a strong sense of friendship is showcased throughout the video. I really like the different camera shots shown, especially during the choreography sections. But the outfits weren’t that good looking.
That whole routine during the ‘deep mellow whistle-like tune’ introduction was probably my favourite bit. It might be the way the video was shot. But when I saw initially, I had to replay it a number of times because it looked so cool. I also really liked their chorus routine. Not exactly sure how to describe it. But it felt like there was a lot going on in an artistic sense.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.5/10
It is surprising that Pentagon has yet to release a studio album. You would expect them to do so after eight mini-albums, right? Well, I guess we just have to wait a little longer for that album. In the meantime, the group has released their 9th mini-album, SUM(ME:R), which features the title track, Humph!. There are two additional singles on the album, along with a special bonus track (which I have reviewed today as well). Hopefully, by keeping this review short, we will be able to fast track ourselves to another Pentagon release (finger crossed for a studio album). But until then, here is my album review!
2. Fantasystic – While I personally do not like the way the title of the song is spelt (me being picky once again), Fantasysic is a bumping track. It is a little more traditional when it comes to its pop genre. But I really like its upbeat atmosphere. It does beg for a little something extra. That something extra (I am thinking intensity or something to make it feel a little tighter) could have really lifted this song to another level. I liked the vocals (Yan An, who is absent from the promotions, participates in the song) and the rapping really hit the mark perfectly. I find the track fitting for the Summer season, which makes it ideal for a Summer themed album. (8/10)
3. Summer! – Summer! isn’t another dance track. Instead, it seems to zone right into the vocals of the group. There is also a melodic appeal to the song, which I think really sets this track apart from the rest of the group’s discography. I also liked how they didn’t take the ballad route to focus on the vocals, which is a cliché move done by many groups. Talking about the vocals, I think this was a really good track on that front. The rapping isn’t as good as per their dance tracks. But I liked how they tweaked the rappers to fit the track’s more melodic style. The instrumental is the main reason why I don’t pinpoint it as a dance track. It is a little more acoustic. But, I can imagine a little fun choreography on the side. (8/10)
4. Round 2 – For those who don’t remember, Pentagon previously released Round 1, which was a bonus track which made fun of one another. They continued that exact theme with Round 2. Though, if my memory serves me right, Round 2 is a little more outrageous than Round 1. My favourite part has to be Shinwon screaming (which I am assuming is an enactment of Hui, who he is is making fun of). And Yeo One’s ASMR for Hongseok was hilarious. I want them to continue doing this in future releases. It is different from an outro and it really shows their budding friendship and closeness with one another. (8.5/10)
Taemin the only member of SHINee who has yet to enlist in the military. And it seems like he will be holding that phase of his life off a bit longer. He will be officially releasing his 3rd Japanese mini-album tomorrow (4th of August), which shares the same name as his latest title track, FAMOUS. On top of that, there are currently rumours floating about that Taemin will be joining Kai and Baekhyun (from EXO), Mark and Taeyong (from NCT) and Lucas and Ten (from WAYV – the Chinese subunit of NCT), forming a super collaboration male group in the near future (though we will find out this week with SM Entertainment confirming that an announcement is coming in regards to this).
Taemin has continued to wow me time and time again with his unique dance tracks. Famous seems to approach this unique vibe again, but it doesn’t really go that length like his Korean and previous Japanese releases have. Famous starts off with a simple beat. But as the song progresses, the song moulds itself into a very interesting and subtly upbeat track. I found the chorus to be very straightforward and it lacked that complexity that Taemin’s track tends to go for. While I have stated that simplicity is good on a number of occasions, it just doesn’t leave me 100% satisfied. I did like the hook (‘Famous’ repetition, which is still growing on me. I also like the ‘No Drama’ deep autotune that is featured throughout the song. I thought that was a nice detail. I thought his vocals were pretty good and that slight rapping sequence in the second verse was awesome! Apart from the simpler chorus, I thought Famous was a great track, overall.
It seems the simplicity feels that I had were compensated through the music video. It does not take a simple approach. Instead of going for a lot of complexity on a visual level. There is a lot going on in the video, despite it all being Taemin close-ups. Very aesthetic, might I add. He starts off being tied up. He then is seen posing in a broken-down car. And then surrounded by half-eaten apples. There is definitely meaning behind all of these different scenes but I am not confident in trying to decipher any of these (as I am usually wrong). The camera work and the dark lighting made every feel more profound and intense. My favourite bit has to be when he rips the ribbon. Paired well with the songs and definitely a peak in a visual manner, as well.
Taemin is one of the best dancers in KPOP. There is no doubt about that. The choreography for Famous takes an aesthetic approach as well, similar to how his music video does. Based on what can be seen in the music video, everything looks stunning and he further proves his status as one of the most established dancing idols out there, once again.
Song – 8.5/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
While it does seem like I was very unimpressed with some title tracks, the title track ends up being on small factor when it comes to deciding which albums to review. Instead, I do a quick listen through the album to hear what it has to offer. If I am satisfied there is enough to write about, I put it on the list. This is the case for EXO-SC’s album. The title track (What A Life) wasn’t to my standard. But a number of the tracks on the album were. And hence, we find ourselves here today to have a run through the album, which shares the same name as the title track. Let’s see if you agree with my thoughts!
2. Just Us 2 (있어 희미하게) (ft. Gaeko from Dynamic Duo) – With the addition of Gaeko in this track, there is no doubt that EXO-SC would continue their hip-hop venture with Just Us 2. And I think the hip-hop genre was heard loudly and clearly in this track, which I think is fantastic. I am still not exactly sure about Chanyeol and Sehun’s approach with their rapping. It just isn’t exciting for me. Though, they do manage to mellow out the song. My favourite bit is Gaeko’s chorus. His voice just seems to extend beyond the primary duo and I really like the twisty accent that he finishes with his lines. There is a lot more colour in the chorus, which I really like. And surprisingly, this colour speaks volumes, as I think this is my favourite track (with a music video) from this album from EXO-SC. (8/10)
4. Roller Coaster (롤러코스터) – Something I suspect is coming true. I am starting to like the tracks that aren’t getting the spotlight. Roller Coaster is a ‘return-to-form’, for me (at least the hip-hop that I know of when it comes to KPOP). I find their delivery a little more captivating. The instrumental, which is does feature that common xylophone synth sound, is a little more dynamic as well. The best part has to the flute-featuring chorus. The ‘Express Yourself’ shout was very subtle yet very memorable. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few people found it plain. But I actually thought the song was very really cool. (9/10)
5. Borderline (선) – It is a short one. The delivery of the lines is a little plain, like their primary title track. Yet there is an intriguing factor to the song that manages to ‘save’ the song from plainness. The instrumental is very minimal. Yet I would consider this to be an upbeat song due to the fast tempo from the tapping in the song. There is a little more to the instrumental with the brief pauses and the periodic wail-like sounds (which was okay but fairly plain). But other than that, thanks to the instrumental, the song manages to speak volumes. (7/10)
6. Daydreamin’ (夢) – I guess to make up for the short preceding song, Daydreamin’ is extended to be a little longer. I like the guitars in the R&B styled instrumental. It gives off a nice atmosphere. There is a bit more to the instrumental as there are many sections, such as the classically styled ending. But they all come together quite nicely. I also like the member’s voices in this song. There are very different textures thanks to the use of autotune, which all assisted the song in becoming very soothing and calming. In summary, one of the better songs of the album. (8/10)
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